Electromagnetic windshield wiper system

ABSTRACT

An electromagnetic wiper system for a windshield of a vehicle includes a linear actuator, a wiper-arrangement, and control circuitry. The linear actuator includes at least one guide rail having permanent magnets and an electromagnetic moving block. The electromagnetic moving block includes at least one perforation that surrounds the at least one guide rail and at least one electromagnetic coil that surrounds the at least one perforation. The wiper-arrangement includes a wiper arm and a wiper blade, wherein at least the wiper arm is coupled to the electromagnetic moving block. The control circuitry controls a linear motion of the electromagnetic moving block along the at least one guide rail to steer the wiper arm that is coupled to the electromagnetic moving block back and forth across a length of the windshield to the windshield, wherein the electromagnetic moving block induces minimal friction during the linear motion.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/291,186, entitled “ELECTROMAGNETIC WINDSHIELD WIPER SYSTEM”, filedMar. 4, 2019, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/638,516, entitled “ELECTROMAGNETIC WINDSHIELD WIPER SYSTEM”, filedMar. 5, 2018, each of which is hereby incorporated herein by referencein its entirety and made part of the present U.S. Utility patentapplication for all purposes.

FIELD

Various embodiments of the disclosure relate to a windshield wipersystem. More specifically, various embodiments of the disclosure relateto an electromagnetic windshield wiper system that exhibits powerefficiency and produces minimal friction during operation.

BACKGROUND

Advancements in the field of windshield cleaning systems and ergonomicvehicle design have led to an increase in the demand for windshieldwiper systems that are not only visually appealing but are alsoeffective in cleaning the windshields of a vehicle. In certainscenarios, a driver or in-vehicle cameras (e.g., in case of assisted andautonomous driving) require an unobstructed field-of-view of the pathahead from inside of a vehicle. Conventional windshield wiper systemsthat use multiple wiper blades usually have a cluttered design and donot sufficiently clear the windshield, which may hamper the unobstructedfield-of-view of the path ahead.

In some conventional wiper systems, electrical motors are used to moveone or more wiper blades to clean a windshield of a vehicle. Theelectrical motors include many mechanical components, such as gears andbearings, to slide the wiper blades. However, such sliding motion of themechanical components creates significant friction resulting in the needfor additional power to be supplied by the in-vehicle battery, whichdecreases vehicle range. Further, the gears and bearings of theconventional systems are susceptible to rust and wear, which may lead topoor and in-efficient cleaning of windshields. Such corrosion and systemdeterioration is especially true in geographical areas subject to harshweather conditions, like significant rainfall or snowfall. When thesesystems corrode accident risk increases, and may result in driver-assistor autonomous-driving functionality being rendered inoperable.

In addition, as the curvature of windshields becomes more complex,conventional wiper systems have difficulty adapting to varying surfaceprofiles and thus affecting their ability to effectively cleanwindshield contaminants. For example, conventional systems are notcapable of effectively cleaning a windshield that curves around adriver, that is the windshield provides a view directly in front of thedriver but also to the left and to the right. Further, conventionalwiper systems have varying influence from aerodynamic effects as theytraverse from the bottom of the windshield to the top and vice-versa,due to airflow vector changes.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one skilled in the art by comparingthe described systems with some aspects of the present disclosure, asset forth in the remainder of the present application and with referenceto the drawings. Hence, there is need for a new windshield wiper systemthat overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks.

SUMMARY

An electromagnetic windshield wiper system for a vehicle issubstantially shown in, and/or described in connection with, at leastone of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

This and other features and their advantages of the present disclosuremay be appreciated from a review of the following detailed descriptionof the present disclosure, along with the accompanying figures in whichlike reference numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary electromagneticwiper system, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 1B illustrates the electromagnetic wiper system of FIG. 1Ainstalled in a vehicle as a modular component of the vehicle, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 1C to 1E collectively illustrate different operative states of theexemplary electromagnetic wiper system of FIG. 1A, in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1F illustrates an extent of the angle of attack of a wiper arm ofthe exemplary electromagnetic wiper system of FIG. 1A with respect to areference axis, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following described implementations may be found in the disclosedelectromagnetic wiper system for a vehicle. The disclosedelectromagnetic wiper system may have a modular architecture that can bereadily installed in a vehicle. The electromagnetic wiper systemincludes a wiper-arrangement that may include a wiper arm and a wiperblade. The wiper arm and the wiper blade may be attached to each other,and thus, form a linear mono wiper in an uncluttered design.

The disclosed electromagnetic wiper system may further include a linearactuator that may include a guide rail and an electromagnetic movingblock. The guide rail may include a plurality of permanent magnet barsthat may be disposed horizontally along a curvature of the windshield ofthe vehicle. The electromagnetic moving block may act as anelectromagnetic train, and may include a plurality of perforations andat least an electromagnetic coil that surrounds the plurality ofperforations in the electromagnetic moving block. The disclosedelectromagnetic wiper system may further include control circuitry thatcontrols the linear motion of the electromagnetic moving block throughthe plurality of permanent magnet bars. The linear motion of theelectromagnetic moving block through the plurality of permanent magnetbars may be controlled to steer the wiper arm that may be coupled to theelectromagnetic moving block, back and forth across the entire length ofthe windshield to wipe a defined region, for example, the entiretransparent area (i.e., near cent percent area) of the windshield. Theplurality of permanent magnet bars may pass through the plurality ofperforations surrounded by the electromagnetic coil in theelectromagnetic moving block. This may result in minimal friction duringthe linear motion of the electromagnetic moving block. Alternativelystated, the disclosed electromagnetic wiper system may utilize thecurrent carrying electromagnetic coil in the electromagnetic movingblock to generate a magnetic induction-based electrodynamic force tosteer the wiper arm, and is thereby able to efficiently and effectivelyminimize friction that otherwise may exist between the moving elementsof a conventional wiper system.

In accordance with an embodiment, when not in operation, the controlcircuitry causes the linear mono wiper to be stowed beneath the hood ofthe vehicle. This improves the aerodynamic performance of the vehicleduring operation, especially at high speeds, and reduces exposure toenvironmental damage, like direct sun exposure. In contrast toconventional wiper systems that do not apply a constant force on thewindshield, the control circuitry according to the present disclosureadjust the inclination angle and/or angle of attack of the wiper armwith respect to a reference axis during the linear motion of theelectromagnetic moving block. Such adjustment of the extent ofinclination of the wiper arm may enable effective cleaning of thewindshield and improve washer spray performance. As a result of theuncluttered design and almost frictionless movement of theelectromagnetic moving block, the disclosed electromagnetic wiper systemimproved the field-of-view of the path for drivers, driver-assistfunctions, and autonomous-driving functions.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary electromagneticwiper system, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. As shown in FIG. 1A an electromagnetic wiper system 102 ispart of a vehicle 104. Vehicle 104 also includes a display 106, a userinterface 106A for the display 106, a vehicle power system 108, and abattery 108A (or a battery-pack) for the vehicle power system 108 in thevehicle 104. As shown in FIG. 1A, the electromagnetic wiper system 102includes a wiper arrangement 110, a linear actuator 112, a rotationalactuator 114, and control circuitry 116 that is communicatively coupledto the linear actuator 112 and the rotational actuator 114. The wiperarrangement 110 includes a wiper arm 110A and a wiper blade 110B. Thelinear actuator 112 may further include an electromagnetic moving block112A and a guide rail 112B.

In described embodiments, the electromagnetic wiper system 102 is amagnetic induction based windshield wiper system. The electromagneticwiper system 102 may have a modular architecture. The electromagneticwiper system 102 may be pre-formed as a sub-assembled module andsubsequently installed into vehicle 104, thereby reducing theinstallation time during general assembly of components into vehicle104. An exemplary embodiment of the electromagnetic wiper system 102 isshown in FIG. 1B. The control circuitry 116 of the electromagnetic wipersystem 102 may control the linear actuator 112 and the rotationalactuator 114 to steer the wiper arrangement 110 across the entire lengthof a windshield of the vehicle 104.

Vehicle 104 may be an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a vehicle withdriver-assist capabilities, and/or a vehicle with autonomous-drivecapabilities. In embodiments, the vehicle 104 may be an air-bornevehicle, a water-borne vehicle, or a hybrid of an air-borne, or aland-borne vehicle.

The display 106 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces,and/or code that renders various types of information and controls viathe user interface (UI) 106A.

UI 106A may be a customized graphical user interface (GUI) that displaysthe various types of information, controls, or settings to operate theelectromagnetic wiper system 102. The electromagnetic wiper system 102may also be controlled or operated by a hardware control button or awiper switch provided in the vehicle 104. The display 106 may be a touchscreen that receives an input from the one or more occupants of thevehicle 104. Examples of the display 106 include, but are not limited toa display of the infotainment head unit, a projection-based display, asee-through display, and/or an electro-chromic display.

The vehicle power system 108 may regulate the charging and the poweroutput of the battery 108A to various electric circuits and the loads ofthe vehicle 104, such as the electromagnetic wiper system 102 and thedisplay 106. In accordance with an embodiment, the vehicle power system108 may include power electronics. The vehicle power system 108 may becommunicatively connected to the control circuitry 116 to receivecontrol signals from the control circuitry 116 (or an electronic controlunit (ECU)) to modulate the current and power distribution for differentoperational components of the electromagnetic wiper system 102. Thecontrol circuitry 116 control a plurality of operational parameters ofthe electromagnetic wiper system 102 based on the adaptive modulation ofthe power and current to the different operational components of theelectromagnetic wiper system 102. Exemplary parameters include, but arenot limited to, the velocity of the electromagnetic moving block 112A,the angle of inclination of a wiper arm of the wiper arrangement 110 (ora change in the angle of inclination), the movement frequency of thewiper arm 110A, and the frequency that any washer fluid is released froma spray washer unit (not shown) and the duration of any such release.

The battery 108A may be a rechargeable source of electric power for oneor more electric circuits or loads (not shown), such as theelectromagnetic wiper system 102 and the display 106 of the vehicle 104.In some embodiments, instead of a single battery, a battery pack has aplurality of batteries arranged in a planar or non-planar array to powerthe vehicle 104.

Although not shown, the vehicle 104 may include an in-vehicle network,which provides communication channels and ports for communicationbetween various control units, components, and/or systems of the vehicle104, such as communication ports for exchanging data among the display106, the control circuitry 116 of the electromagnetic wiper system 102,and other associated circuitry in the vehicle 104. The in-vehiclenetwork may facilitate access control and/or communication between thecontrol circuitry 116 and other ECUs, such as a telematics control unit(TCU) of the vehicle 104. Various devices or components in the vehicle104 may connect to the in-vehicle network, in accordance with variouswired and wireless communication protocols. Examples of the wired andwireless communication protocols for the in-vehicle network may include,but are not limited to, a vehicle area network (VAN), a CAN bus,Domestic Digital Bus (D2B), Time-Triggered Protocol (TTP), FlexRay, IEEE1394, Carrier Sense Multiple Access With Collision Detection (CSMA/CD)based data communication protocol, Inter-Integrated Circuit (I.sup.2C),Inter Equipment Bus (IEBus), Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)J1708, SAE J1939, International Organization for Standardization (ISO)11992, ISO 11783, Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST), MOST25,MOST50, MOST150, Plastic optical fiber (POF), Power-line communication(PLC), Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) bus, and/or Local InterconnectNetwork (LIN).

The wiper arrangement 110 includes the wiper arm 110A and the wiperblade 110B. The wiper arm 110A may be attached with the wiper blade 110Balong a length of the wiper blade 110B to form a linear mono wiperproviding an uncluttered design to the electromagnetic wiper system 102.At least one end of the wiper arm 110A may be coupled to theelectromagnetic moving block 112A, and the other end may be a free end(i.e., not coupled to any structure), as shown, for example, in FIG. 1B.An example of the wiper arrangement 110 is shown and described in FIG.1C.

As shown in FIG. 1C, the linear actuator 112 includes moving componentsthat exhibit translational motion, for example the electromagneticmoving block 112A, and stationary (or affixed) components, for example,the guide rail 112B. The assembly of the electromagnetic moving block112A and the guide rail 112B collectively move the wiper arm 110A of thewiper arrangement 110 in a linear motion along the length of awindshield of the vehicle 104. In embodiments, the linear actuator 112is a linear motor, such as a linear inductor motion. In embodiments, thelinear actuator 112 has mechanical components that convert the rotationof a motor shaft into a linear motion of the electromagnetic movingblock 112A.

The rotational actuator 114 may have a fixed portion (e.g., a coupler)to connect to the electromagnetic moving block 112A. The rotationalactuator 114 may include a shaft that attach to one end of the wiper arm110A. Based on control signals from the control circuitry 116, the wiperarrangement 110 may be stowed and/or and the specific wiping angle maybe set. For example, the shaft of the rotational actuator 114 may rotateto stow the wiper arrangement 110 and/or set or change the wiping angle.Rotational actuator 114 may be a stepper motor, servo motor,digital-servo motor, or another motor. An example of the rotationalactuator 114 is shown and described in FIGS. 1C and 1D.

As shown in FIGS. 1D and 1E, the control circuitry 116 controls thelinear motion of the electromagnetic moving block 112A along the guiderail 112B to allow steering of the wiper arm 110A coupled to theelectromagnetic moving block 112A. The control circuitry 116 may alsocontrol other components of the electromagnetic wiper system 102, suchas the linear actuator 112, a washer spray, and the rotational actuator114. The control circuitry 116 may include, but is not limited toincluding, a microcontroller, an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit(ASIC) processor, a microcontroller, a state machine, and/or otherprocessors or control circuits.

During operation, a trigger signal (or instruction) may be received atthe control circuitry 116 of the electromagnetic wiper system 102 toinitiate operation of the electromagnetic wiper system 102. Based on thereceived trigger signal, the control circuitry 116 may generate andtransmit control signals (or control instructions) to the vehicle powersystem 108, to provide power specific to the linear actuator 112, therotational actuator 114, or a spray washer attached with the wiperarrangement 110. The trigger signal may be received at the controlcircuitry 116 based on a user input. For example, a driver of thevehicle 104 may switch “ON” the wiper switch or select a UI control onthe UI 106A via the display 106, to start the operation of theelectromagnetic wiper system 102. In embodiments, the trigger signal isgenerated without human interaction with the vehicle 104, based on theone or more in-vehicle sensors, such as an in-vehicle camera, anin-vehicle radar, an in-vehicle moisture sensor, and/or in-vehiclecamera or sensors coupled to a neural network that determines thepresence of rain or another condition requiring clearing of thewindshield. In embodiments, vehicle sensors (such as a camera or radar)capture a field-of-view through a defined region of the windshield. Thesensors may detect a weather condition. Examples of the differentweather conditions include, but are not limited to, snow fall, rain,wind, humid, smoke, fog, or arid weather condition. In someimplementations, a degree of a weather condition may be furtherdetected, for example, heavy rain fall, light snowfall, strong dirtcarrying winds, and the like, which may impact visibility. The sensorsmay generate real time or near-real time trigger signals forauto-activation and controlled operations of the electromagnetic wipersystem 102.

FIG. 1B illustrates the electromagnetic wiper system of FIG. 1Ainstalled in a vehicle as a modular component of the vehicle, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As show in FIG.1B, vehicle 104 is fitted with the electromagnetic wiper system 102 as amodular component. FIG. 1B also shows a windshield 118 and a hood 120that may be raised to provide a compartment that stows the wiperarrangement 110 when not in operation. The wiper arm 110A may beattached with the wiper blade 110B to form a mono wiper blade of thewiper arrangement 110. In embodiments, the control circuitry 116 isembedded within the chassis of the electromagnetic wiper system 102. Inembodiments, the control circuitry 116 or one or more features of thecontrol circuitry 116 is implemented in an ECU of vehicle 104.

FIGS. 1C to 1E collectively illustrate different operative states of theexemplary electromagnetic wiper system of FIG. 1A, in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1C, wiper blade110B is attached to the wiper arm 110A along a length of the wiper arm110A. The wiper blade 110B may be in contact with the windshield 118 tophysically wipe a defined region of the windshield 118. FIG. 1C alsoshows the positioning of the electromagnetic moving block 112A of thelinear actuator 112 and the rotational actuator 114 below the hood 120of the vehicle 104.

In accordance with an embodiment, the electromagnetic moving block 112Aincludes a plurality of perforations 122. The electromagnetic movingblock 112A may be also referred to an electromagnetic train. Theelectromagnetic moving block 112A may be mounted on the guide rail 112Bsuch that the guide rail 112B passes through the plurality ofperforations 122. The guide rail 112B may be one or a plurality ofpermanent magnet bars. The number of perforations in the electromagneticmoving block 112A may be equal to the number of permanent magnet bars.At least one electromagnetic coil may be provided within theelectromagnetic moving block 112A to surround the plurality ofperforations 122 in the electromagnetic moving block 112A.

In accordance with an embodiment, one end, such as a first end 124A, ofthe wiper arm 110A is coupled to the electromagnetic moving block 112Aand the other end, such as a second end 124B, may be a free end, asshown. In some embodiments, the first end 124A of the wiper arm 110A iscoupled to the rotational actuator 114, which in turn is coupled to theelectromagnetic moving block 112A.

FIG. 1D illustrates the electromagnetic wiper system 102 with the wiperarm 110A in a stowed mode. Also shown is the guide rail 112B thatincludes a plurality of permanent magnet bars 126 disposed horizontallyalong a curvature of the windshield 118 of the vehicle 104. In anembodiment, the guide rail 112B is affixed to a chassis of theelectromagnetic wiper system 102. The chassis may be further affixed tothe body of the vehicle 104. The electromagnetic moving block 112A maybe mounted on the guide rail 112B such that the plurality of permanentmagnet bars 126 of the guide rail 112B pass through the plurality ofperforations 122 present in the electromagnetic moving block 112A. Thecontrol circuitry 116 may direct rotational actuator 114 to stowcomponents of the wiper arrangement 110, such as the wiper arm 110Aunder the hood 120 of the vehicle 104.

In accordance with an embodiment, the rotational actuator 114 includes ashaft 114A. The shaft 114A may be attached to the first end 124A of thewiper arm 110A and the control circuitry 116 may control the rotation ofthe shaft 114A. Using the rotational actuator 114 the control circuitry116 may send signals to stow the wiper arrangement 110 and set specificattack angles for wiping the windshield 118. The attack angle is theangle of the wiper arm 110A with respect to the windshield 118. In otherembodiments, the wiper arm 110A is rotated without the use of therotational actuator 114. For example, the wiper arm 110A is rotated byapplying differential forces on the electromagnetic moving block 112A bythe plurality of permanent magnet bars 126.

As shown in FIG. 1E, the control circuitry 116 may control a linearmotion of the electromagnetic moving block 112A through the plurality ofpermanent magnet bars 126 to steer the wiper arm 110A coupled to theelectromagnetic moving block 112A, back and forth across a length of thewindshield 118 to wipe a defined region of the windshield 118.

In embodiments, the guide rail 112B includes straight permanent magnetbars disposed along the entire length of the windshield 118. In suchembodiments, the wiper arrangement 110, including the wiper arm 110A,moves in a straight line along the length of the windshield 118 of thevehicle 104. In embodiments, the guide rail 112B includes a plurality ofcurved permanent magnet bars (not shown) parallel to the curvature ofthe windshield 118. In such embodiments, the wiper arrangement 110,including the wiper arm 110A, moves along the curvature of thewindshield 118. In other embodiments, the curved permanent magnet barshave a different curvature compared to the curvature of the windshield118. In embodiments, the control circuitry 116 controls the attack angleof the wiper arm 110A to ensure that the wiper arm stays in contact withthe windshield 118. In other embodiments, a mechanical part, such as aspring, maintains the wiper arm 110A in contact with windshield 118.

In accordance with an embodiment, in response to the received triggersignal, the control circuitry 116 of the electromagnetic wiper system102 positions the wiper arm 110A, including the wiper blade 110Battached to the wiper arm 110A, at a specific inclination angle, forexample, an inclination angle of approximately “90 degree.” (i.e., anupright position) with respect to a longitudinal axis of the windshield118. The wiper arm 110A may be positioned at the specific inclinationangle from a previous position of the wiper arm 110A, for example, aninclination angle near “0 degree.” (e.g., in the stowed mode). Thepositioning of the wiper arm 110A at the specific inclination angle withrespect to the longitudinal axis may be done by use of the rotationalactuator 114. Based on the received trigger signal, the rotationalactuator 114 may rotate the shaft 114A. Then, the control circuitry 116may cause an electrodynamic force to be induced to move theelectromagnetic moving block 112A through the plurality of permanentmagnet bars 126 in a linear motion. Using this electrodynamic forceproduces minimal friction compared to conventional systems. To reducefriction, an air gap between the electromagnetic moving block 112A andthe permanent magnet bars 126 may be created. Alternatively, oil orgrease may be placed in the plurality of perforations 122 to reducefriction.

In embodiments, the control circuitry 116 may be further control a sprayfluid that may be used to clean the windshield 118. To improve cleaning,a consistent blade force of the wiper blade 110B on the windshield 118may be maintained throughout the back and forth movement of the wiperarm 110A.

FIG. 1F illustrates an extent of the angle of attack of a wiper arm ofthe exemplary electromagnetic wiper system of FIG. 1A with respect to areference axis, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. With reference to FIG. 1F, there is shown a reference axis128, which is perpendicular to the linear motion of the electromagneticmoving block 112A and may be considered to be parallel to at least aportion of the windshield 118. The control circuitry 116 may adjust theangle of attack and/or the inclination angle of the wiper arm 110A withrespect to the reference axis 128 during the linear motion of theelectromagnetic moving block 112A.

The angle of attack for the wiper arm 110A (or wiper blade 110B) may beadjusted within a range (for example, “−6 degree. to +6 degree.” withrespect to the reference axis 128). The inclination angle and angle ofattack may be adjusted based on a defined criteria, such as a weathercondition, a type of deposit (for example, soil, water, or snow)accumulated on the windshield 118, a priority setting to first wipe adriver-sensitive region of the windshield 118, or other definedconditions that may facilitate the wiper arm 110A to clear the desiredarea of the windshield 118, such as a maximum area, the area in front ofthe certain sensors, or another area of the windshield 118. Theinclination angle may also be adjusted to define the coverage area forwiping.

The rotational actuator 114 may be an operational component of theelectromagnetic wiper system 102 that performs the angular displacementof the wiper arm 110A. At a given time, the wiper arm 110A may beinclined at a specific inclination angle with respect to the referenceaxis 128. For example, in a non-operational state, the wiper arm 110Amay be inclined at “0 degree” or near “0” degree inclination anglebeneath the hood 120 of the vehicle 104. In operational state, the wiperarm 110A may be inclined at a specific inclination angle, such as “90degrees” (+/−6 degrees) with respect to the reference axis 128. Afterthe specific inclination angle is set as per the defined criteria forthe wiper arm 110A, the linear actuator 112 may be activated to move thewiper arm 110A along the length of the windshield 118. The controlcircuitry 116 may control the supply of current/power to theelectromagnetic coil within the electromagnetic moving block 112A, toinduce a time-varying/moving magnetic field within the electromagneticmoving block 112A. As a result of the design, and almost frictionlessmovement of the electromagnetic moving block, the disclosedelectromagnetic wiper system 102 is more power efficient thattraditional systems, while also providing an unobstructed field-of-viewfor sensors and/or drivers of the vehicle 104. This may facilitatedrivers, driver-assist functionality, and/or autonomous-drivingfunctionality to make precise and quick decisions. Both the inclinationangle and the angle of attack may be adjusted over time based uponoperational conditions and/or linear position of the electromagneticmoving block 112A.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference tocertain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the artthat various changes may be made and equivalents may be substitutedwithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition,many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation ormaterial to the teachings of the present disclosure without departingfrom its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosurenot be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that thepresent disclosure will include all embodiments that fall within thescope of the appended claims. Equivalent elements, materials, processesor steps may be substituted for those representatively illustrated anddescribed herein. Moreover, certain features of the disclosure may beutilized independently of the use of other features, all as would beapparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of thisdescription of the disclosure.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,”“including,” “has,” “having” or any contextual variants thereof, areintended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process,product, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is notnecessarily limited to only those elements, but may include otherelements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, product,article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary,“or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example,a condition “A or B” is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true(or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or notpresent) and B is true (or present), and both A and B is true (orpresent).

Although the steps, operations, or computations may be presented in aspecific order, this order may be changed in different embodiments. Insome embodiments, to the extent multiple steps are shown as sequentialin this specification, some combination of such steps in alternativeembodiments may be performed at the same time. The sequence ofoperations described herein can be interrupted, suspended, reversed, orotherwise controlled by another process. It will also be appreciatedthat one or more of the elements depicted in the drawings/figures canalso be implemented in a more separated or integrated manner, or evenremoved or rendered as inoperable in certain cases, as is useful inaccordance with a particular application.

1. (canceled)
 2. A method comprising: receiving real time sensor datafrom a plurality of devices associated with a vehicle, wherein theplurality of devices comprises at least an imaging device and a seconddevice; analyzing, by a neural network, the real time sensor data;determining a presence of a weather condition based at least in part onsaid analyzing; and modifying an operation of the vehicle based at leastin part on said determining the presence of the weather condition. 3.The method of claim 2, wherein the imaging device is configured tocapture a plurality of images of a field-of-view through a predefinedregion of a windshield of the vehicle, wherein the real time sensor datacomprises the plurality of images.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein thesecond device comprises a device other than an imaging device.
 5. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the second device comprises a moisturesensor.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein the second device comprises aradar device.
 7. The method of claim 2, wherein the weather conditionnegatively affects visibility through a window of the vehicle.
 8. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the weather condition corresponds to apresence of a weather element other than rain.
 9. The method of claim 8wherein the weather condition corresponds to a presence of at least oneof snowfall, fog, or smoke proximate to the vehicle.
 10. The method ofclaim 2, wherein the weather condition corresponds to a presence of windhaving a wind speed that satisfies a threshold wind speed.
 11. Themethod of claim 2, wherein said modifying the operation of the vehiclecomprises at least one of activating a window management system ordeactivating the management system.
 12. The method of claim 11, whereinthe window management system is a windshield wiper system.
 13. Themethod claim 2, further comprising determining a severity of the weathercondition, wherein said modifying an operation of the vehicle is furtherbased at least in part on the severity of the weather condition.
 14. Themethod claim 2, wherein said modifying the operation of the vehiclecomprises activating an electromagnetic wiper system of the vehicle,wherein said activating the electromagnetic wiper system of the vehiclecomprises controlling a linear actuator to cause linear motion of anelectromagnetic moving block through a plurality of permanent magnetbars disposed horizontally along a curvature of a windshield of thevehicle to steer a wiper arm that is coupled to the electromagneticmoving block.
 15. A method comprising: receiving real time sensor datafrom a plurality of devices associated with a vehicle; analyzing, by aneural network, the real time sensor data; determining a presence of afirst weather condition based at least in part on said analyzing;determining a presence of a second weather condition based at least inpart on said analyzing, wherein the second weather condition isdifferent from the first weather condition; and modifying an operationof the vehicle based at least in part on at least one of the presence ofthe first weather condition or the presence of the second weathercondition.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of devicescomprises an imaging device is configured to capture a plurality ofimages of a field-of-view through a predefined region of a windshield ofthe vehicle, wherein the real time sensor data comprises the pluralityof images.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of devicescomprises at least one of a radar device or a moisture sensor.
 18. Themethod of claim 15, wherein the first weather condition corresponds apresence of at least one of snowfall, fog, rain, smoke, or wind, andwherein the second weather condition corresponds a presence of adifferent one of the at least one of the snowfall, the fog, the rain,the smoke, or the wind.
 19. A method comprising: receiving first realtime sensor data from an imaging device associated with a vehicle,receiving second real time sensor data from a non-imaging deviceassociated with the vehicle; analyzing, using machine learning, thefirst real time sensor data and the second real time sensor data;determining a presence of non-rain weather condition based at least inpart on said analyzing; and modifying an operation of the vehicle basedat least in part on said determining the presence of the non-rainweather condition.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the imagingdevice comprises at in-vehicle camera, and wherein the non-imagingdevice comprises at least one of an in-vehicle radar device or anin-vehicle moisture sensor.
 21. The method of claim 19, wherein thenon-rain weather condition corresponds a presence of at least one ofsnowfall, fog, smoke, or wind.